Taylor Swift speeds to top of charts

'Idol's' David Archuleta nabs second spot

The second album from Taylor Swift has posted the biggest sales week for any country album this year.

“Fearless” (Big Machine) sold 592,000 copies in the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan, making it the biggest country album since the Eagles’ “Long Road Out of Eden” sold 711,000 in its debut week a year ago. It is the largest opening U.S. sales week in 2008 by a female artist in any genre, and the fourth biggest overall, behind Lil Wayne, AC/DC and Coldplay.

With 129,000 copies sold digitally, “Fearless” has racked up the biggest country digital album debut in the format’s short history.

Swift’s “Love Story” is the No. 1 country single. “White Horse,” featured on the season premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy,” will make a top 15 debut on the pop chart, giving Swift six top 20 debuts this year.

The top 10 saw another shakeup with six newcomers.

David Archuleta, the “American Idol” runner-up, posted sales of 183,000 as his self-titled debut for 19 Recordings/Jive opened at No. 2. “Now That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 29″ moved 172,000 to come in third, and T-Pain’s “Thr33 Ringz” (Jive) dialed in 167,000 to open at No. 4. A new “Now” edition that’s a “best-of the best ofs” sold 22,000 (No. 32).

Producer David Foster had a key role in two top 50 debuts on Warner Bros. Seal’s “Soul,” a collection of soul music covers that Foster produced, moved 45,000 to open at No. 13. The live disc “Hit Man,” by Foster and friends — among them Michael Buble, Peter Cetera and Josh Groban — tagged 15,000 to open at No. 46.

Last week’s No. 1, the soundtrack to “Twilight,” sold 107,000 copies and slid to No. 5. Disc was one of six albums to top 100,000 in sales last week.

Next week will see a similar shakeup in the top five as Beyonce’s two-CD set is expected to top 500,000 while “American Idol” winner David Cook, Nickelback and Swift duke it out for No. 2 in the 300,000 range.